


Matchmaker

by honeymallow_writes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (slow ish), (tagging it anyway), (uhhhhh), Ball, But He Gets Better, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Keith cant cook, Keith is a femboy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Rivals to Lovers, a sprinkle of angst, bc we love that here, broganes, but there's gonna be smut, cheese ptsd, cyrans an ass, dancing in the kitchen, dw, im bad at tagging, keith in a dress, oh btw honey tagged this shit, one bed, slowburn, so uh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:15:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26470240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeymallow_writes/pseuds/honeymallow_writes
Summary: What's supposed to be a boring diplomatic mission turns complicated when Keith and Lance are mistaken for a couple and are forced to share a room. Will they be able to make it through the mission without killing each other? Or worse... falling in love?
Relationships: Hunk & Lance (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Klance - Relationship, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt
Comments: 7
Kudos: 71





	1. The Wink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! It's Marshmallow here, and this is me and Honey's first time ever writing a fic! We're so excited to share it with you guys!! 
> 
> Our first two chapters may be a bit shorter than the rest, but we promise bigger chapters in the future!!
> 
> Please be aware that we are both students with erratic schedules and our posting times might be anywhere between a chapter per week and a chapter per month. Thanks for showing interest, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Queen Carmine looked down onto the five paladins. They were here to help negotiate a peace treaty between two planets, and even though that may sound stupid that’s just the kinda shit you get stuck with as a “defender of the universe”. God, you’d think it’d be cooler. Keith wishes it were cooler. Wishes he weren’t stuck standing in a stupidly humid room as Shiro and the others talked about… whatever it was they were talking about. Keith wasn’t paying attention anyway. Maybe he should? He had been mulling it over when the back of his head had been met with a soft pain.

“Ow, the fuck?”

“Pay attention or Shiro’s gonna make it hurt more than that.” Lance was staring smugly down at him, and even though Keith could think of just about a million and one ways to start a fight and get _out_ of this stupid room, he decided against it. For now, anyway. 

“God, fine.”

Keith turned back to the front of the room right as they seemed to come to a decision. Thank _god_. 

Shiro stood there, hands placed on his hips in the way that so often means he has an announcement to make. Its so hard to take him seriously though, considering he looks like a fucking preschool teacher. Keith wonders if Shiro would, if asked, cut the crusts off his sandwiches. Keith is almost certain he would. 

“Hello everyone! I have an announcement to make!” Nail on the coffin with that one. He’s getting too predictable.

“As you all know, we will be working with the Queen Carmine on Scarra for the next month on her peacemaking treaty with the ruler of Azuron, as well as overseeing the first annual Unity ball. We all know the drill by now. However, they have ever so graciously-” 

“Suck up” Keith mumbles, earning a snicker from Lance, who quickly stifles it when he catches the pointed stare thrown his way.

“-offered to let us stay with them while we are here. We will be staying at the guest quarters of the Scarra palace, in the best rooms that they can offer. They will also pay for all our costs while we are here, given the trade goes well. Try not to abuse this too much though, alright? Just because they’re letting us take it easy doesn’t mean we get to ignore the mission.”

This time it was Lance's turn to pipe up, with a remark about how he would never ignore a mission just because he got a chance to “chillax” or whatever other weird franken-word Keith was pretty sure Lance just pulled out of his ass whenever he deemed necessary. Keith leaned subtly into his side.

“Uh yeah, because you’d just ignore it regardless,” Keith whispered jokingly. Lance let out a dramatic gasp before pushing him back away. 

Keith fought back a smile. Messing around like this was what made meetings bearable.

While Shiro blabbed on about the rooms they were staying in, Keith happened to notice Queen Carmine staring at him. She made no efforts to look away, her eyes seeming to sparkle in a way that made Keith nervous. Then she... was that a _wink?_ Such a small gesture was so startling to Keith that he almost jumped. He suddenly became painfully aware of how close he was standing to Lance, his shoulder almost brushing his arm. Feeling his ears go red, he squirmed away, putting a few inches between them before resting his back on the wall once more.

Shiro quickly dismissed the group after a light lecture about “professionalism” or whatever it was he was supposed to be caring about, while sending Pidge off to check on the rooms they booked. Keith had just been about to go train some more to make up for the lack of movement he’s been experiencing for the last three hours when he was cornered by an unusually distraught Lance.

“Uh?” Keith said, eloquent as always. 

“Hey man…” Lance started. Keith raised an eyebrow.

“Listen, if this is your way of trying to start a fight with me, you're doing a terrible job.” Just as Keith had begun to move back through the hallway, Lance quickly jumped in front of him.

“No no no! Nooope! It's nothing like that, promise.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I just wanted to ask you something, that’s all.”

“Uh…” Keith paused. To be fair, how was he supposed to handle this? Keith could take the teasing, poking, and the fighting. What he couldn’t take was whatever the fuck Lance was dishing out right now. Something about Lance actually being open and honest with him made his stomach turn. Something about Lance specifically reaching out to him of all people…

“Shoot?” Why did that sound like a question. It wasn’t. Why was he so unsure? More importantly, why was he overanalyzing what he said? Keith was not one to overanalyze much of anything. Ever. It's actually kind of a sticking point of his.

“Did you notice anything like… weird?”

“You're gonna have to be more specific than that, Lance.”

Lance let out an exasperated sigh before continuing on. “Like, back in the delegation room. I thought I saw Ms. Queen Caramel-whatever looking at us weird.”

Keith cocked his head to the side, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared up at Lance. He thought back to his odd moment with the queen, and the wink. Keith felt unease begin to bubble at that. It's not that Keith hasn’t gotten odd looks before, that's just something that happens when you’re the only half-galran member of a team primarily designed to stop said galrans. It's just that Keith is much more used to the looks being slightly hostile rather than… whatever that wink was. Keith shook his head. Even if the look had meaning behind it, he’s pretty sure that it was in no way involving Lance. 

“No, I don't think so. Why would she, anyway?”

Lance slumped in relief at that. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I got worried I had made the wrong impression or something. Thanks, Keith.”

Keith didn’t even get the chance to splutter out an extremely undignified ‘you’re welcome’ before loud, maniacal laughter rang all throughout the castle.

“Was that..?”

“Pidge?”

Their question was soon to be answered as the radio clipped to their side’s crackled to life. The laughter they had somehow managed to hear all the way across the castle increased tenfold and made it difficult to hear the speaker on the other side at first. 

“YOU GUYS ARE SO SCREWED-” Pidge’s voice could be heard squealing through the radio before collapsing into another shrill bout of laughter. Keith and Lance locked eyes with concern. Keith had a strong feeling her comment had been aimed at them, and it was clearly nothing good. Another voice crackled over the radio, making them both jump.  
  


“Keith and Lance, please report to the bridge, we have... matters to discuss.” the voice was Shiro’s, and although he was being serious, it was clear he was trying to hold back laughter.

“This can’t be good.” Lance shook his head with a sigh. “Do you think this has anything to do with what I said before?”

_The wink. What did it mean?_ “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Keith said, without sounding so sure. Lance must’ve noticed the waver in his voice, because he turned around to look Keith in the eyes.

“Are you sure? Did you notice it too?” 

“No! No, I didn't. Well…” Keith paused. 

“Well?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Well, clearly _something_ is bothering you.” Lance gripped him on the shoulder, a seemingly friendly gesture that sent sparks down Keith’s arm. “Listen, you’ve seemed jittery ever since I told you about what I saw. Did it really bother you that much? I mean, you said yourself that it was nothing, but you seem weird about it.”

Keith finally mustered enough courage to look back up into Lance's eyes, and Keith wasn't sure if that was the best or worst decision he had ever made. On the one hand, the close proximity allowed Keith to get an up close and personal look into Lance’s more subtle facial features. He felt his eyes trace along Lance’s face, his hair, his ears. Had Lance always been that tall? Had his eyes always been that blue? Had he always had those freckles? Keith suddenly realized he'd been rather _openly_ galking at him and quickly stepped back, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. 

Because on the other hand, everytime Keith got an opportunity to get closer to him, he always managed to royally fuck it up. Keith shook his head.

“I just didn't think it was directed at you, too. I thought it was just at me, and therefore wouldn't matter.” Lance’s face quickly turned from sincere to hurt, and Keith realized what he'd just said. 

“Yeah sure Keith. It’s always gonna be about you, isn’t it.”

“Wait! Lance, no, that’s not what I-”

“Keith and Lance will you PLEASE come down to the bridge as soon as possible.” Shiro’s urgent voice echoed through their radios, putting even more space between them than before. Lance shot one glance back at Keith before turning and walking briskly down the hallway. Keith sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets and followed, not bothering to keep pace. 

*** 

When they finally made it to the bridge, it was to find an exhausted but also somewhat amused Shiro waiting for them. They were also surprised to see that Pidge had somehow managed to compose herself, but for some reason the sight of them sent her into hysterics once more. Keith couldn’t help but grimace. He noticed Hunk was crouching by her side, probably to make sure she didn’t pass out. Keith watched as Pidge all but threw herself onto the ground.

“Pidge, please… you’re making it out much worse than it is.” said Shiro. God, he sounded tired. Keith can’t help but pity the man, especially knowing that this is probably what he’s been dealing with for the last thirty or so minutes. Shiro led them to the couches as Pidge tried to compose herself once more. 

“Making what out to be worse than it is? What’s going on?” Lance crossed his arms as he spoke, leaning irritability against the corner of the couch. Shiro sent a puzzled look his way before darting his eyes between the two boys. He thought for a second, then grimaced. 

“Maybe now isn’t the best time-“

“God, you dragged us all the way down here already. Just spit it out.” Keith crossed his arms pointedly. Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose as Pidge let loose another bout of giddy giggles.

“Is Pidge like, okay?” Lance tilted his head to look, her face was red and tears were streaming down her face.

Shiro sighed. “No, she’s not. I guess there’s no easy way to break it to you both so I’ll just say it now.” Keith and Lance exchanged a look. 

“Queen Carmine… er… she reserved our rooms for us, and… well…”

“Just tell us!!”

“She… she thought you two were… a couple. So…” he sighs, “you two will be sharing a room for the duration of our stay.”

Silence.

Shiro watches carefully as both of their faces were colored with surprise. But, luckily for him, it seemed like that was going to be the worst of it. Both of their heads seemed to be going at about a mile a minute trying to comprehend what it was he just said. Keith felt his stomach sink for just about the millionth time that day. _The wink. Oh my god. THAT'S what that was? Oh my god. Oh my god?_ Keith felt his face heat as he continued to spiral into his thoughts. It wasn’t the principle of the thing that really got him, oh no. Sharing a room with Lance, though tiring, doesn’t seem impossible. They’d just ignore one another until they could go back their separate ways, spend as little time cooped up in the room together as possible. Oh no, it wasn’t that at all. It was the fact that the Queen had mistaken them for a _couple._ Keith couldn’t even begin to wonder how the fuck _that_ had happened. Keith and Lance were by far the most far from being together from anyone on the team. Weren’t they?

“GAHAHAAHAAAA!!! You guys have to SHARE A BED!” Pidge’s screams cut through his mist of thoughts and brought him back to reality.

“Pidge, please, give them a break.”

“What the hell?! There’s only one bed? Can’t you fix this?!” Lance sputtered, clearly just as unhappy with the rooming arrangement. Keith couldn’t help but wince. Was rooming with him really that awful?

“No Lance, we can’t ‘fix this’, there are no extra rooms, and it would be rude of us to complain. I’m sure there’s a couch in the room, so you won’t have to share a bed, _Pidge._ And you guys are surely mature enough to handle it.” Shiro sighed, clearly quite exhausted. “Now it would be in your best interest to unpack any luggage you brought with you into your rooms while we find a way to bring Pidge down before she collapses out of exhaustion. And, please, try not to kill each other, that would be quite the difficult thing to explain to the queen.”

***

“I cannot believe that’s what that look meant. Is she fucking serious? Us? A couple?!” Lance dragged his feet through the glittery hallways of the Scarra castle, his sneakers making little scuff marks on the polished tile.

“Am I really that bad?” Keith jabbed, half in jest. Was he? And why did it matter what Lance thought, anyway? Lance stayed silent, his shoes still squeaking on the tile. “Hey listen, earlier, I didn’t mean-”

“Didn’t mean what?” Lance snapped, whipping around to face him. 

“Listen, I lied, I did see her looking at us, and I saw her wink at me and-”

“She _what!?_ ” The angry look on his face was now one of pure shock.

“She winked at me, but I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal, I just thought-”

Lance gripped Keith by the shoulders. “Thought what?! Why the hell would she _wink_ at you, and of _course_ it’s a big deal you idiot! She freaking gave us a shared room! She thought we were a couple, dammit!”

“I just-“ Keith stopped short. How was he going to explain what he was thinking? In hindsight, assuming that a wink of all things would be hostile was stupid, but how was Keith supposed to know that? It’s not like he’s had the best experiences with these things in the past. Thoughts of cold glances and pointed nose turns make him uncomfortably fiddle with the hem of his sleeve. At least all that was better than the times people refused to look at him at all... Keith shook his head. There hadn’t been a reason to bother Lance with those thoughts before, and there certainly wasn’t any now. Keith can deal with it on his own.

“Nevermind.” 

Pidge’s voice, now stable but still with a hint of laughter, crackled over the radio.

“Alright you two idiots, your room is at the end of the hallway. Have fun, lovebirds!”

“PIDGE!”

“Sorry Shiro, just having some fun!”

After one more long glance, Lance pushed in front of Keith and began to move down the hallway.

Keith couldn’t help but wonder just how many of these heavily silent walks they’d be sharing within the next month. He hoped there weren’t many.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello. this is Marshie's partner in crime, Honey. she asked me to say something, so here i am????? i write shitty shit. i cuss a lot. i'm a huge bitch. not much to see here. goodbye.
> 
> Yep, so that's Honey for you! You'll be seeing a whole lot of them, don't worry. They might act prickly, but they've got the SWEETEST interior! (They also might smite me for saying that... pray for my soul.)
> 
> Until next time! Bye!


	2. Accommodations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fancy room. Gay emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> marshmallow is liar. i am never soft. she has seven days to live.

“Oh no.”

“They _cannot_ be serious.”

The room was, quite literally, a honeymoon suite, with a grand, king size white bed in the center speckled with little pink petals. The floor to ceiling window on the left side showed a gorgeous view over the desert oasis. There was a plush velvet couch up against one wall, dotted with frilly pillows, and the whole room had such an odd, suffocatingly _perfect_ feel that it was almost uncomfortable. 

“Under any other circumstance, this would’ve been amazing, but _seriously?_ Petals! On the bed sheets! Who the fuck do they think we are?” 

Keith couldn’t help but snicker. Lance overreacting like this wasn’t unusual, but seeing him get so flustered over the rooming arrangements was quite the amusing sight. He watched from the doorway as he flung open drawers and doors, picking up little trinkets on countertops and messing with the blinds on the huge windows. 

“Hey wait a minute, they’ve got a freakin jacuzzi in here! This is sick!” Lance poked his head out from inside the bathroom. His change in tone was almost comical. “Keith, get in here! It changes color!!” 

Smirking to himself, Keith made his way into the bathroom, an excited Lance already leaving dirt marks on the white floor tiles. The bathroom had a massive vanity and another obnoxiously gorgeous view through a window that could be dimmed on command, and to Lance’s obvious delight, a huge jacuzzi already full of warm, jasmine scented water.

Allowing Lance to have his fun with the lights, Keith observed himself in the mirror. His forehead was still sweaty from the humidity of the delegations room, and he could feel the salt drying on his skin. He should probably take a shower later, make use of the overly extravagant accommodations while he was here, at least. 

He observed his messy hair with distaste. Certainly these _accommodations_ would include a hairbrush? With a sigh, he began searching through the many drawers in the vanity, yanking open a smallish one that seemed about the size of a brush. Inside, to his disappointment, was not a brush, but a small bottle full of a clear liquid, and a large, square box of…

_Oh no._

Keith felt the blood rise in his face. He slammed the drawer shut and scuttled back a few steps. This could not get any worse. First the shared room, the rose petals, the stupid fucking jacuzzi, and now… condoms. _Accommodations indeed._

“Hey Keith, you okay?”

_Lance._ Shit. He could _not_ let Lance know what was in that drawer. 

“Yeah, Lance, I’m fine.” Absolutely fine. Heart beating a hundred miles a minute, face red as a tomato. He was PERFECTLY fine.

“Hey man, listen. I know this isn’t ideal and all that, but we should at least make the most of it while we’re here. I’ll even let you have the bed.”

“No no no, that’s fine, I’m fine. I’ll feel more comfortable on the couch anyway,” Keith rubbed his face, trying to suppress the red glow.

Lance’s face lit up. “Wait, you’re serious? I can have the bed? You’ll let me?”

“Of course you can, idiot.”

“Woohoo!!! I’m gonna sleep _awesome_ tonight!”

Well, the color changing jacuzzi certainly worked wonders on his mood. Keith watched with a small smile as he cheerfully strutted out of the bathroom, probably to pick all those pesky petals off the bed. He sighed and leaned against the wall, allowing himself to close his eyes. 

At least Lance and him were on better terms again. He doesn’t know why he lets himself freak out about it the way he does, but it always feels like their arguments are going to be what breaks this weird little thing they have. He sighs. 

Of course he would never admit it to Lance’s face, but he appreciated him. Boring meetings and long trips through space wouldn’t be the same without Lance. Keith shook his head softly and turned into the main bedroom, resting his shoulder on the doorframe. 

The petals had been moved into a small disposable cup placed on the nightstand, probably to be thrown out later, and Lance was lying face down on the mattress.

“You good there?” Keith chuckled.

“Oh my _god_ yes. This is the most comfy thing I’ve ever laid on, probably _ever.”_ His voice was muffled by the plush white pillows he was buried in, making him sound almost as ridiculous as he looked.

“Glad to hear it. Try not to suffocate, okay?”

Lance turned his face towards him now, smooshing his cheek up against the bed as he dramatically glared at him.

“Was this your master plan? Give me the bed and get me to suffocate myself? Because I really can’t think of any other reason you’d give this up.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Oh no, you caught me. My murder has been foiled,” he deadpanned. Lance laughed and heaved himself off the bed with a groan. 

“God, I don’t think I’ll be able to get up next time I lay there. Let alone _sleep!_ Yeesh.” Lance began to make his way across the room towards Keith, making him self consciously fiddle with his sleeve again. He didn’t notice his expression change. 

“Hey man, you okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Keith furrowed his brows as he looked up at him, “Why?”

“You just seemed a little down, is all.”

“I… I’m fine Lance, I swear.” Could he be any worse of an actor?

“You’ve been really jittery all day, I know when something’s up. Is it still about the whole room thing? Listen, I-”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just tired, that’s all.” Keith stammered and looked down at his shoes. There was a moment of silence where his words hung in the air, and then in a swift movement he felt Lance’s arms around him.

“H-hey!”

“Listen, we’re gonna be in the same room for who knows how long. If you ever need to talk, I’m here. Okay?”

Keith’s whole body went rigid. Lance’s arms around him were strong and warm, a warmth that seemed to transfer into his stiff muscles. He felt safe at that moment. He smelled like salt and coconut soap, oddly comforting and warm. He could hear his heartbeat when he pressed his head against his chest. It was strong and steady. 

He felt himself relax into his arms, all his worries of the day and whatever snarky remarks Pidge would say to them at dinner that night melting away. He pressed his face into the soft fabric of his shirt as Lance moved a hand to his hair. Arms seemed to move on their own as they finally found their resting place under Lance’s, clinging tightly to the back of his collar while Lance looped a hand around his waist. He could feel Lance gently run his fingers through his hair. 

Keith wondered why Lance did this for him. Wondered why Lance was always there for him, even after all the fighting and bickering. Wondered what it was that Lance saw in Keith that he couldn’t. He let out a shaky sigh as he pressed into Lance harder. 

“Lance?” 

“Yeah?” his voice was soft and gentle as he spoke into his hair. Keith could feel his lips ghost there, and found himself craving for more. He inhaled deeply as he prepared to speak.

“Why…” Keith paused and chewed his lip.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Keith waited with baited breath for Lance's response. waited for Lance to turn around and tell him that that’s not what this was, that he didn’t really mean the things he said. That Keith had somehow, someway misinterpreted this. That maybe it wasn’t an argument that would break this weird little thing, but this. He heard Lance laugh a little and felt his stomach drop.

“I guess I just don’t really see any reason not to be.”

Keith paused and considered for a moment.

“But… I'm never nice to you.” Keith stammered, “And we always fight all the time. I just… I just don’t _get_ it.”

“But that doesn’t really _mean_ anything. That's just petty fighting, nothing’s ever really behind it. At least, I don't think there is.” Lance chuckled softly at that, laughing into his hair. Keith nodded slightly. 

“Plus, I have a feeling not too many people _are_.”

Keith grumbled into his shirt. “Doesn’t mean you have to get stuck with making up for it. S’ not _your_ fault.”

Lance pressed his cheek to the top of his head. “Have you ever considered I actually _like_ being nice to you?”

“But-“

Lance quickly shushed him before continuing on.

“Keith, I’m not gonna _lie_ to you. I mean the things I say, okay? Whether or not you believe me just yet.”

Keith sighed as Lance held him closer, squeezing his sides with a firmness that assured Keith he wasn’t going anywhere, holding onto this odd moment of intimacy they shared. And suddenly Keith isn’t so sure exactly what it was he had been so afraid of.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Marshmallow again! You can thank Honey for that hug scene we got there ^-^! 
> 
> These first two chapters are super short, and we apologize, but the chapters are gonna get way longer, don't worry!! We welcome any suggestions and commentery in our comments down below! Thanks again for reading, and we will update ASAP!


	3. Bread and Honey Butter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is a big bitch. Keith eats bread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marshmallow here!! Thank you for the singular kudos, whoever it was T-T. Semi out of character warning for Pidge? She can be kind of a massive bitch when she wants to lol.

The silence as Lance walked through the hallway was almost deafening, and made the steps of his feet on the polished tile seem so much more loud. But his brain wasn’t on his feet, or the hallway, or the castle, or the diplomatic mission in the first place. His thoughts were still back in the stupid little honeymoon suite with it’s stupidly gorgeous windows and stupidly comfortable bed, and most importantly, the stupid idiot of a boy he would be sharing the room with. 

_“Why are you so being nice to me?”_ God, the question still lingered. Was he? Keith could be such an arrogant jerk sometimes. Not to mention their whole rivalry thing or whatever. Keith was always better at everything, and it drove him nuts. He still picked petty fights and got angry just because he felt that way. But he _did_ like being nice to Keith. He liked having someone laugh at his stupid jokes and fool around with. Lance didn’t know if he could survive all those stupid political meetings without him. Just like today had been, before the whole stupid _incident._

Oh god, the couple thing. Lance might’ve died of embarrassment if anyone had seen them like that, hugging. _Anyone_ would think they were a couple. Which they most definitely were _not._ The audacity of Carmine to assume that, and sprinkle _flower petals_ on the sheets! No wonder Pidge had been dying of laughter.

Speaking of Pidge…

“Hey lovebirds, get your asses down to the dining room ASAP! You’re late!”

“We’re not fucking lovebirds, Pidge!”

“Sure, Lance. Just hurry up! Second door down the left corridor.”

_Ghhh. The nerve of her._ If she gave them any more shit during dinner, Lance didn’t know what he would do. What was it Shiro had said to them? “Try not to kill each other”? Was there a rule about killing Pidge? Because Lance was certainly going to find out.

Second door. Left corridor. _Huh._ Conveniently labeled “Paladin’s Dining Chambers” in loopy script written in purple ink on a quite informal looking paper sign stuck to the door with sparkly tape. Almost definitely the work of Queen Carmine. Well, it’s now or never. Lance pushed open the door with as much fake confidence as he could muster.

“Alright everyone, I’m here.” 

“What’s up, Loverboy Lance? Couldn’t stop banging in time for dinner?”

It was _really_ going to be a miracle if he didn’t kill her by the end of tonight.

“Pidge, can we _please_ not use that language, at least not at dinner.” Lance could hear the pure exasperation in Shiro’s voice, who clearly had been dealing with this all day. 

“Pidge, what does _bang-ing_ mean? Is this more Earth language? I would love to learn more about your culture!” Allura babbled. Pidge stifled a laugh while Lance felt color rise in his cheeks. Was he blushing? He never blushed. Ever.

“I-It’s nothing Allura! Don’t mind Pidge!” Did he stutter? How much more pathetic was he going to get? And in front of Allura, no less.

“Yeah sure, don’t mind me!” Pidge snickered, going quiet. But Lance just knew that wasn’t gonna be all he heard from her tonight.

Lance shook his head and took a seat in one of the empty chairs around the long, ornate table. One of the two empty chairs. That were, of course, right next to each other. Seriously, how much more embarrassing could this day be? 

The sight of food momentarily distracted him, the table packed full of delicious smelling dishes, of which was already being devoured by the famished paladins. The queen surely spared no expense, that’s for sure. No expense. _Stupid fucking petals._

"Hey guys, sorry I was late." Keith mumbled as he looped around Lance and sat at his place at the table. Right next to him. Because of _course._ Not like Keith had any choice in the matter either, but Lance was still allowed to be petty about it. 

_Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say anything…!_

“Aww! The two lovebirds sitting next to each other! Was this _planned?_ ” Pidge gushed in a sugary voice, leaning forward on her elbows to grin at Keith. _Dammit!_ Lance gritted his teeth and forced himself to look somewhere other than her smug face. _Remember not to kill her..._

Keith, however, could never force himself to do much of anything, and promptly kicked her in the shin. Pidge practically _flew_ back in her chair, eyes widening in both pain and surprise and she leaned back. Lance winced. He’s sparred with the guy on occasion, so he knows it must have hurt like a bitch. Lance couldn’t help but be grateful though. _Karma…_

Apparently that wasn’t all though, as the force had actually managed to tip Pidge’s chair backwards completely, sending her shrieking panicked self careening to the ground. 

“OW you _BITCH-_ “

“Pidge, language.” Shiro muttered between his teeth, his hand making a death grip on his fork. 

Lance heard Keith snicker under his breath as Pidge angrily righted herself and her chair. 

“Oh please,” Pidge scoffed, the glint in her eye only now more ferocious. “Don’t get all mad because our dinner plans cut your bang session short.”

Keith stood up suddenly, making the dishes rattle. “Go suck a dick, Pidge.” His sudden angry burst made everyone look up from their plates, speechless.

Pidge rose to greet him, her height comical for the amount of shit she was talking. “Oh who am I kidding, we all know who’s dick YOU’LL be sucking tonight!” she spat, a wicked grin plastered on her face.

Lance might not describe himself as the brightest, but he was smart enough to know when things were absolutely without a doubt going to shit. And he could also tell when Keith was about to snap. Just as Keith lunged at Pidge, some kind of indescribable force pulled Lance to his feet and grabbed hold of him before he could launch himself across the table. Hunk must’ve had the same sense, because he was on his feet holding back a spitting Pidge, the same as Lance. 

“God damnit, let go!” screamed Keith, fighting against Lance’s hold on his wrists.

“Come at me, coward!” Pidge sneered, straining against Hunk’s arm.

Yelling filled the room, Lance and Hunk both pleading with Keith and Pidge, who were having none of it. Allura, not knowing what to do, sat in silence, jaw agape as chaos insured around her. Noise, clanging, yelling, clawing, hissing, and then…

“SILENCE.” Shiro banged his splayed hands on the table. Five pairs of eyes turned in his direction. The air sat heavy. Shiro’s eye twitched. All were stunned silent.

“I’ve had enough of you all today. I’m going to bed.” 

And like that, he stood and walked out the door, each tap of his foot reverberating throughout the room until the final _slam_ of the door behind him.

The silence of the room still hung, like a thread waiting to snap. Lance suddenly realized how _close_ he was to Keith. Restraining his wrists, his chest pressed against Keith’s back, he was reminded of the proximity of their earlier _moment_. Lance could feel his sharp, fast pulse and sense the stress built up in his body, still ready to strike.

Suddenly Keith’s body relaxed, and then stiffened again quickly. He quickly tore his hands away from Lance, and when he turned around his face was tinged pink.

“I’m going to sleep,” he muttered, dashing quickly out the door. _Slam._

_What the hell was that?_ Of course Pidge had been bitchy, this was expected, and Keith _had_ been jittery all day. But he hadn’t expected Keith to get so angry, let alone attack Pidge before _him!_ He was honestly just glad that Keith hadn’t actually harmed her, and judging by how worked up he got, it would’ve been different if Lance hadn’t intervened. 

_Intervened._

Obviously they weren’t a couple. Obviously they weren’t “lovebirds” as Pidge had so annoyingly dubbed them. So why did his pulse quicken when he felt his skin on Keith’s? No. He couldn’t get himself so worked up about this. He was Lance, and he never let things get to him. 

But why did Keith.... blush? It couldn’t have been blush. Keith was just all worked up from his squabble with Pidge. Of course he might’ve been flushed....

Oh god, where was he now? Keith always got up to no good when he was angry. With his luck, Keith might be dead by the end of tonight. Shiro would never let him hear the end of it. He should probably go find him. He should _definitely_ go find him.

Why was Keith causing him so much trouble today? And why was he still putting up with it?

****

Lance had figured it would be smart to start with their room, considering that had been where Keith had said he’d go. God, _their_ room. The one they shared. Together. Like a couple! Lance shook his head, clearing those pesky, unwanted thoughts away. There’s no need to focus on it, is there? Lance then found himself at the door to the room and decided that there most _definitely_ was not as he pulled himself inside.

The lights were still out, except for a small lamp on the bedside table. It was soft and yellow, and perfectly illuminated one Keith Kogane, who was lying face down on top of their bed. No, his bed. _Just_ his bed. Lance scoffed and shook his head again. Why can’t these thoughts just leave him be? Having made his presence known, Keith grunted his greeting. How hospitable.

“Hello to you too, Keith.” Keith grunted again, turning slightly away from Lance while still pressing his face firmly to the pillow. Lance sighed, resting his back against the wall and looking down at the angry boy below. 

“You wanna talk about it?”

“No.” Ah, so he does talk. Lance huffed and turned away to look at the rest of the room absentmindedly.

“Yeah, I thought as much.” 

Keith scoffed. “Then why’d you _ask?_ ”

“Figured it was worth a shot. Who knows? Maybe you had a change of heart. Decided to open up for once.”

Lance was met with snort and a pointed turn away from him. Why does Keith _insist_ on being so difficult?

“Never.”

He sighed, running his hands down his face in exasperation. He’s getting Keith to talk, or at the very least cheer up, whether he likes it or not. Keith’s enigma persona be damned. Lance thought for a moment. All he needs is a change of tactics, since clearly talking isn’t gonna fucking work. _Sighhh._

“You know, you’re getting awfully comfy for someone lying on a bed that isn’t theirs.”

Keith rolled to raise an eyebrow at him, before moving back again. Lance was beginning to get worried he’d suffocate soon. 

“My bed now.” he grunted, spreading his arms along said bed to further prove his point.

Lance waggled a finger at him. Not that Keith could _see_ it, but he did it anyway. “Ah, no no no! That was _not_ the agreement, Mr. Kogane.”

Keith simply pressed further into the mattress. 

_His_ mattress. The mattress that _he_ was going to reclaim no matter the cost. And step one of doing so was getting Keith to cheer up. So Lance did the only thing he could think of, probably not the wisest choice, but a choice nonetheless.

He flopped directly onto Keith.

“HEY!” 

Lance chuckled into his side. “Hello to you too, Keith.”

Keith let out a long exasperated sigh. 

“You are. The _worst.”_

Lance laughed again. “Yeah, I know.” He shuffled so his face was next to Keith's, who promptly glared at him.

“Get off me, Lance.”

“Hmm…” Lance pretended to think for a moment, dramatically scrunching his nose and tapping his finger against his cheek.

“Nah.” 

Keith's eyes widened. “ _You-!”_ Keith went to make a shove at Lance's shoulder, but he quickly flipped over to Keith's other side. Keith turned and tried again, to no avail. 

“I cannot believe you.” Keith pushed Lance away, who in turn pushed back. “ _Hey!”_

A whole bunch of pushing, shoving, cursing, and giggling later, there was a clear winner.

“Okay,” Lance panted, hair significantly ruffled, “I win, no more.” He sat perched atop a well beaten Keith, whose head was currently being driven into the mattress by Lance’s hand.

“Okay! Fine! Now _get off!_ ” Keith protested, his words being muffled by the blankets.

“You’re gonna let me have my very comfortable bed back?”

“Yes.”  
  


“And stop being so gloomy?”

“Mmmrph.”

“And admit that I’m the almighty champion of pillows and wrestling?”

_“Laaance!”_

“Alright, fine,” Lance rolled off of Keith and onto his well-earned bed, “you don’t have to say it. I just know it in my heart.” Keith popped up, his hair all squashed on one side.

“Shut up!” Keith gave him another little joking shove, but now with a giddy smile plastered on his face. _Mission success!_ Lance gave himself a mental pat on the back. He had his comfy bed back, plus Keith had seemed to recover from his spat with Pidge at dinner. _Dinner!_

“Oh yeah I almost forgot! It’s not much, but…”  
  


Lance leaped off the bed and retrieved the little napkin wrapped package of bread and butter from the doorway.

“I thought you might be hungry or something, since you left without eating anything.” Keith turned around, looking suspicious.

“Pidge didn’t poison it or anything?” he gingerly took the food from Lance, eyeing it warily. 

Lance stifled a laugh. “No. The bread is fine. No poison.” He was, as Keith had put it, nice, after all. It didn’t feel right letting Keith go hungry after that argument.

Keith sat down on the bed and with one last glare at the bread, he gave in to his grumbling stomach and took a bite. The look on his face changed instantly, and Lance smiled, smug.

“Oh fuck, that’s good.” 

“Right?” Lance plopped down next to Keith. “Hand some of that over, it’s tasty.” 

“What’s this made out of?” Keith mumbled, mouth crammed with bread. 

“I don’t know, but it reminds me of the honey butter I used to make back at home.” Lance tore off a piece. “Who knew? The fearsome, grumpy Keith has a sweet tooth.” Keith pouted but it looked comical, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

“MMRPH!!” he tried to protest. Lance laughed.

“Cmon, don’t choke yourself. You would seriously die if you tasted any of my family’s cooking. My mom made the best carrot cake.” Lance sighed, chewing thoughtfully. He missed sitting around a dinner table where he didn’t have to worry about people killing each other or not. Of course the team was like a family to him at the end of the day, and he got to spend days eating foods he never dreamed would exist, but nothing could beat a warm night at home. 

“Hey, I know that look. Don't go getting sentimental on me, Lance.” Keith shoved the loaf at him.

“Me? Never.”

“Oh c'mon. I know it sounds hypocritical coming from me, but something’s clearly bugging you.”

“It’s nothing. I just miss my family. I wonder if they miss me too.”

They sat in silence, tearing off little pieces of the bread and dipping them in the sweet butter until Lance, feeling like he should lighten the mood, spoke up again.

“Yknow, when I first got in there, I thought _I_ was gonna be the one to lunge at Pidge. I mean seriously, I knew she could be a bitch, but she was being a _massive_ rodent-loaf back there.” 

_“Rodent-loaf?”_ Keith laughed hysterically, doubling over at the waist. His giddy laughter brought a smile to Lance’s face as all the emotions of the day came out in one stream of giggles and snorts. _Oh my god his snorts._ It was, to put it lightly, _adorable_. To see Keith with all his guards down and giddily snorting as they ate together? He didn’t think he’d ever seen Keith this relaxed before. To think that this morning they were arguing about this very room placement...

“And you? Attack Pidge? That would’ve been fucking _amazing,_ are you kidding?” Keith wheezed.

“Pretty sure I would’ve if she didn’t start picking on you.” Lance poked him in the shoulder, “I almost let you at her, y’know.”

“You should’ve! I wouldn’t have killed her or anything. Just…”

“What? Gone feral and bitten her head off?”

Keith scoffed, faking disgust. “Of course not! What do you take me for?”

Lance tapped his chin sarcastically. “Oh right, what kind of murdering maniac would have a snort-laugh and a sweet tooth?” He couldn’t help but tease him a little. He couldn’t risk being _too_ nice, now could he?

“How dare you. I am quite fearsome, thank you very much.” Keith ripped off a piece from the loaf with his teeth, clearly emphasizing his fearsomeness. 

He yawned wide suddenly, his eyes drooping. _Cute._

“I think the Very Fearsome Keith is getting tired. Are we gonna call it a night?” 

“No,” the Very Fearsome Keith quipped, “I still have bread to eat and I’m definitely not letting you take it.” He hugged the loaf to his chest and absentmindedly leaned onto Lance’s shoulder, allowing his head to rest as he closed his eyes. 

“Snnnk… my bread….” he mumbled before going quiet.

His soft hair tickled Lance’s collarbone and his breath grazed him in little warm puffs. Lance gingerly reached an arm around him. For someone who claimed to be fearsome, Keith seemed so small when he was asleep, even smaller than usual. Keith had never been one in particular to submit to hugs, but yet, this was the second time today that he was allowing himself to be touched, by _Lance_ of all people. Granted, he was asleep, but Lance still liked to think that it counted. 

“Okay,” he whispered to nobody in particular, “Let’s get the little fearsome Keith off to bed.” He gently lifted Keith princess-style and carefully placed him on the couch. Assuming Keith wouldn’t take kindly to having his clothes ripped off, Lance left him, jacket and all. His arms were still wrapped tightly around the half eaten loaf of bread, which despite his protests while awake, Lance did decide to remove, wrapping it in a cloth napkin and stowing it inside the bedside drawer table. He just simply had to hope that Keith wouldn’t be mad at him in the morning for taking away his precious snack.

Little noises could be heard from Keith as his chest rose and fell, his small movements almost reminding Lance of the way a cat slept. His lips were parted slightly, his nose scrunched with the occasional sharp inhale, and his face looked peaceful, relieved from its usual frown. Lance softly laid a throw blanket over Keith’s sleeping form, smiling despite himself.

_Oh god what would they think if they saw me like this._ Him!! Tucking Keith Kogane into bed like some kind of… _boyfriend!_ Who was he? He felt his face warm furiously. God, if Pidge knew, she would tear him to _shreds._ Ruin his life, even. Never let him hear the end of it. No, what happens, _happened,_ in this room, he could not let anyone know. It was between him and Keith. 

Fearsome Keith with a sweet tooth and a red face and a snort laugh and soft hair…

Lance wasn’t thinking straight. He needed sleep, and he needed it now. He would make sense of himself in the morning. _But now,_ he yawned big, _he must rest._

He pondered the events of the day as he curled into the soft cocoon of his infuriatingly comfortable bed. The room assignment seemed like days ago, and the argument at dinner seemed so far away. Shiro had looked so tired as he stormed out of the dining room. Lance hoped he was okay. They were quite the stressful bunch, after all. 

Keith’s little murmurs jerked him out of his worrisome mind-scramble. He listened, they were almost akin to the purrs of a small animal, and Lance found them oddly soothing. _Maybe this room assignment won't be so unbearable after all..._ Lance allowed his thoughts to drift as he lost himself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marshmallow doesn't believe me when I tell her this is just how she acts in fic. Everybody go tell her that she's wrong. Also, we have more kudos now!!! Shoutout to y'all 20, you get a gold star. -H
> 
> OH ALSO EVERYBODY BULLY HER INTO WRITING THAT FIC I WANT. SHE KNOWS THE ONE.


	4. Crumpled Papers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello new readers, Marshmallow here!! Me and Honey just wanted to thank you all for the kudos, it really means a whole lot, and you guy's support made us motivated enough to post another chapter!! We hope you all enjoy this next addition, see you at the bottom!! <3

Keith blinked the drowsiness from his eyes and sat up, stretching and yawning wide. The unfamiliar environment caused a jolt of panic before he remembered.

_ Right. _

He was on Scarra. On a diplomatic mission. And he was sharing a room with  _ Lance.  _

Just what had happened last night? He didn’t remember being in his bed. Er. Couch. Whatever. And anyway, he definitely would’ve remembered to take off his jacket of all things. 

He suddenly thought back to last night and the fight in the dining hall. God, he actually kind of felt bad about it now. So bad he was actually considering apologising to Shiro for it. Not Pidge though. His face went pink as he remembered the way Lance had held him back, chest pressed against him and… stuff. Whatever, doesn't matter. Despite both Shiro and Pidge’s annoying assumption, Keith was absolutely sure he was  _ not  _ interested in Lance. Like,  _ yeah,  _ the guy’s attractive. Keith still has  _ eyes.  _ But that doesn't mean anything! Keith leaned back and pressed his head against the couch, subconsciously hugging himself as he did so. He began to think back to the moments Lance and him had shared after, but shook those thoughts away too. He stood up and brushed himself off as he headed for the bathroom. 

Keith peeled off his sweaty clothes and stepped into the shower. The warm water came on right away and felt soothing on his sore muscles. He sat there for a moment, listening to the water drumming on the tiles, and tried to ignore his swirling mess of thoughts. It would be better once he was clean. He picked up one of the many bottles, the one which looked the most like shampoo, and read the label. 

_ Jasmine cleansing soap,  _ he read,  _ combines the scents of vanilla, rose, and jasmine to create a natural aphrodisiac… _

_ Aphrodisiac… Wait a minute! _

Queen Carmine!! Damn her! 

He shakes his fist and puts the bottle back on the shelf. Like  _ hell  _ he was going to use that one. Keith thinks he’d rather die. He grabs another bottle and makes a point to read the label very well, but overall finishing up his shower rather quickly.

When he steps out the steam has fogged up the vanity mirror, but Keith pays it no mind. Hastily pulling on some clothes and his jacket, he took a long, hard stare at the drawers of the vanity. He hesitated. Although he hated the fact that Carmine would assume such things about them, Keith supposed he could use this to his advantage. Swiftly looking over his shoulder, he opened the small drawer and tore open the box of condoms as quietly as possible. He glared at them one last time before shoving a couple into his back pocket. 

It was good to have them, he convinced himself. Just in case there was some hot castle guard who would be willing to fuck all his worries away. To get his mind off of… whatever  _ this  _ was. Keith shook his head.

He stepped out of the bathroom, considering whether or not he wants to risk getting breakfast while Pidge may still be around, when he bumps into Lance. His hair is messy and unbrushed, face squished into a tired squint.

“God, you get up early. Like…  _ so  _ early. You seriously do this  _ everyday?” _

“I… uh…”

Lance's voice is scratchy and gruff from lack of use as he drags his hand through his unkempt hair. 

“Dude? You good?”

And does Keith panic a little? Maybe. Maybe he does. His eyes widen when he realizes that Lance is expecting a response and he uncomfortably shifts on his feet, looking towards the ground as he does so.

“Uh, yeah” He chokes out. He coughs slightly into his hand before stepping to the side and gesturing to the bathroom.

“Showers yours.”

****

“...so I’m expecting you all to be on your best behavior until Azuron’s ambassadors arrive. You are now dismissed.” Shiro concluded with a strained smile. Poor Shiro. The stress was wearing on him. Judging by the looks that Pidge had been shooting at him all morning, Keith was pretty sure she had gotten a talking to. He stood up to stretch and was just about to walk over to apologize for last night, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and lips at his ear.

“Psst, Keith! Follow me!” 

“Huh? Lance, wait!” 

Lance sprinted into the hallway and crouched behind a tall decorative potted plant, where Keith joined him.

“What are you  _ doing?”  _ Keith yell-whispered, “and why are you hiding?”

Lance smiled and held a finger to his lips, his grin hinting at ulterior motives.

“I’m guessing your homeschooled ass never got the proper middle school experience, so I’m taking it upon myself to give it to you. You wanna get back at Pidge, right?”

“Well, I mean, yeah. And I wasn’t  _ homeschooled!”  _ Keith scoffed, giving him a light punch on the shoulder. 

He grinned wickedly. “Take this,” Lance shoved a few slightly crumpled sheets of paper at Keith’s chest, “and follow me.”

“What? I-  _ woah!”  _ Lance grabbed his hand and yanked him forward and down the hall. Keith couldn’t help but wonder just how Lance managed to get into trouble at every possible opportunity. It’s not like he can judge, really, considering that he isn’t much better. At least when Lance got in trouble it was the fun kind. Keith continued to wordlessly allow himself to be pulled along by Lance, clutching the papers to his chest. God, and he had been considering making peace with Pidge just this morning. Keith scoffed to himself. Whatever it is that they were about to do, Keith could guarantee that Pidge deserved it. He does feel kinda bad for Shiro though. He must be so tired.

“I can almost guarantee she’ll be in the castle workshop. Which, conveniently for us, has an upper level.” Lance shot him a wink and pulled him around the corner, peeking into the workshop where, sure enough, Pidge was already working, muttering to herself audibly.

_ “Stupid!! I didn’t start it, I was just joking around!”  _

_ “Hey Pidge, it’s not your fault,”  _ Hunk’s voice echoed from out of sight, _ “But maybe you should be nicer to them. They’re already having a tough time as is and…” _

_ “Whatever! Everyone knows they’ve got fat crushes on eachother! It’s so obvious!”  _ There was a metallic clang, evident of Pidge smacking something in frustration.

Seriously? Them? Having crushes on eachother? What the hell was she on? Of course they didn’t! Keith clenched the papers in his hand and opened his mouth to say something, but Lance made a  _ “shush”  _ sign with his hand and gestured to follow him up the stairs, leading to an observation deck looping around the workshop. Pidge’s back was turned and Hunk was out of sight, but Keith’s heart beat fast at the thought of being discovered.

“Okay, listen. This is an old trick I used to pull on anyone who I didn’t like. Tear up the paper into little pieces, roll them into balls, and throw them into the person’s hair when their back is turned.”

Keith made a muffled snicker. “Are you sure that’ll work? We’re pretty high up.”

“Of course! Never underestimate a sharpshooter’s aim!” Lance grinned.

“I’m not sure your sharpshooting skills cover flicking tiny pieces of paper into our teammate’s hair from an unreasonable height, but fine.” Keith began carefully tearing the paper and handing the shreds to Lance as they giggled quietly.

“Aaaand… first shot!” Lance flicked, and they watched it sail through the air, landing right in Pidge’s fluffy hair. They shared a silent cheer.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe that actually fucking worked!” Keith whispered, handing him more little pieces of paper. 

“Sharpshooter. Told ya!” Lance flicked another, this one narrowly missing. “Keep them coming. I want paper falling out of her hair for  _ weeks! _ ” 

_ Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.  _ And all the while, Pidge seemed to have no idea.

“Geez, how many are you gonna do?” Lance only laughed, gesturing for more paper, until…

“Hey Pidge, are you-” Hunk stood up from behind a pile of boxes, and looked directly at them. Keith nearly felt his heart stop. He and Lance froze in place.

“Huh? Whatcha say?” Pidge yelled over the metal clanging. 

“I- um..” he shot a perplexed look at the pair.

Lance frantically gestured at Hunk, mouthing at him to keep quiet. Keith crouched behind him, peering down, heart beating a hundred miles a minute..

Thankfully, Hunk seemed to get the message, and with a confused nod he turned back to Pidge. Together they breathed a sigh of relief.

Lance took Keith’s hand and dragged him carefully back down the stairs and out into the hallway, ducking behind yet another decorative plant.

“Oh thank  _ god!”  _ Keith slumped against the wall breathing heavily. “I really thought he was gonna tell Pidge, we would’ve been done for!”

Lance slid down next to him, giggling hysterically. “Too bad we couldn’t have seen the look on her face when she realizes what we did!” he bumped his shoulder into Keith’s, “Can’t believe the unflinching, Very Fearsome Keith was scared of  _ Pidge! _ ”

“Hey, I wasn’t scared! And I  _ am  _ very fearsome, thank you.” 

He realized that they were still holding hands. Their palms were slick and sweaty but he didn’t care. It was stupid and he knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go, the same way he let himself be hugged just the other day. Something about it made him feel… safe. It was so unusual.

A frustrated scream echoed from inside the workshop.

_ “Keith, I’ll kill you!!” _

“And that,” Lance stood and pulled Keith to his feet, “is our cue to leave.  _ Run!!” _ Lance yanked him down the hallway, breaking into a sprint. Despite the danger of Pidge’s very tiny fists and Shiro’s not so tiny lectures, Keith allowed himself to laugh.  _ This mission won’t be so bad after all! _

And so they fled, hand in hand.

****

“But Shiro!”

“No ‘buts’, I will not have my team members behaving like animals on an integral diplomatic mission!”

“But I didn’t start it! It’s not my fault she’s being such a bitch!”

“Keith, will you please mind your language, the walls are quite thin, and this mission is-”

“Ugh!” Keith crossed his arms and slumped down on the uncomfortably fancy couch. Everything in the Scarra castle was uncomfortably fancy, right down to those stupid petals sprinkled on the bedsheets. He preferred it in the castle of lions, where he could relax. Now he felt like everything he touched was automatically stained. He almost admired the way Lance could leave footprints on the spotless floor and not even care. 

Shiro rubbed his forehead with a pained sigh. “Listen, I really just need you to behave. I know Pidge likes teasing you, and so does Lance, but this mission is really important-”

“No no no,” Keith blurted out, “it’s not Lance’s fault at all! He didn’t do anything wrong! He was just trying to…” he trailed off. Why was he defending Lance? This wasn’t like him and he knew it.

“So it was Lance who threw the paper then?”

“No, wait, that’s not…” Keith stuttered, “I mean, he was just being nice, it’s not his fault, I’m the one who-”

“Listen Keith, it doesn’t matter who threw the first punch, I just want you, Lance, and Pidge on your best behavior when the Azuron guests come.” Shiro looked him over. Keith knew he could tell something was wrong. There was simply no hiding things from Shiro.

“You know, if there’s anything bothering you, you can always tell me.”  _ There it is. _ His predictability was almost laughable. But the statement still had the ability to make his skin crawl with unease.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Keith mumbled, trying to sink deeper into himself, just wanting the whole conversation to be over. He hated feeling vulnerable.

“Hey, I know there’s something going on, and it’s fine if you don’t want to tell me, but I'm here for you as always, okay Keith?”

Something about Shiro’s calm smile and Keith’s roiling emotions escalated to a point that was unbearable. He finally let out the question that had been plaguing him this whole time.

“Why did Carmine think we were a couple anyway!?” he couldn’t help but exclaim. Shiro raised an eyebrow with a slight smile.

“Remember, it’s  _ Queen  _ Carmine.” Shiro chided.

Keith groaned audibly, rolling his eyes. Shiro only chuckled. “So that’s what’s troubling you?” 

“Well, I’m gay, but that doesn’t mean I’m automatically dating any man within a six feet radius! Plus, me and Lance are the furthest thing from a couple on the team anyway! It’s just so…”

“Confusing? Irritating? Aggravating?” Shiro tried to finish. Keith seethed in silence and nodded his head slightly.

“Listen, I can talk to her about it, if that would make you feel better-”

“No, no!” Keith interjected, “That would just make it worse.” He straightened his sitting position angrily but made no effort to keep his posture.

“Well, it seems like you and Lance have been getting along fine so far, so I’m proud of you for that. If you and him are getting along fine, then there shouldn't be any reason to worry. Pidge might be mean at times, but she means no harm. Just try your best to ignore her, okay?”

They had been getting along  _ more  _ than fine. Which wasn’t normal.  _ None  _ of this was normal. Keith sighed. “Fine.”

“You know, you and Lance seem to be getting along way better these days. Maybe this room arrangement will be good for the two of you.” 

Keith stiffened. “What are you suggesting? I know that face.”

“Nothing, nothing!” Shiro chuckled, “Just... don’t fall for him or anything, okay?”

“SHIRO!” Keith exclaimed, crossing his arms, “That won’t be an issue, despite what Pidge and  _ Queen  _ Carmine might think.”

Shiro laughed again, sinking his cheek into his hand.

“Glad to hear it.” 

****

“Uuuuuugh.” Keith found himself once again pressed into Lance’s mattress, but was this time not met with a flop, but instead the soft bounce of Lance sitting right next to him.

“What’s wrong this time, Mister Drama Queen? Taking over my bed again?” he could hear the laugh in Lance’s voice. Keith rolled over, exposing his frowning face.

“Shiro gave me the classic lecture about being respectful and how I should just ‘ignore Pidge’ or whatever because he can’t risk ‘jeopardizing the mission based on my actions’,” Keith mimed air quotes with his fingers and Lance laughed.

“When you got called down earlier you looked absolutely terrified.”

“I was  _ not! _ ” Keith lied with a shove. This only prompted more laughter from Lance.

“Listen, I’ve been at the receiving end of Shiro’s lectures too, and your fear is  _ absolutely  _ justified.” Lance shuddered, as if remembering a particular scolding.

“But now that we pissed off Pidge again, I don't think our presence will be quite so welcome at dinner tonight. Especially mine,” Keith groaned, rubbing his face with his hand. “It wasn’t even me! How do you always manage to get us into trouble!” Why had he gone along with it in the first place. He always liked to think of himself as a level headed person. But he had let himself be dragged away, let Lance get him in trouble like he always does. Why did he always take the bait?

There was a moment of silence, broken by a soft flop as Lance laid next to him. “What do you say we skip dinner then?” 

“I mean, what choice do we have?” Keith grumbled, staring dejectedly at the ceiling.

Lance met his attitude with a sigh. “I know. But my poor stomach…” he trailed off, but there was another little bounce as he sat up excitedly. “I know!”

Keith sat up and watched as Lance dug through the drawer on the bedside table. With a victorious exclamation, he held up the half eaten loaf of crusty bread from the previous night.

“My bread!” Keith grabbed at it, “You kept it!”

“You mean the bread that I stole for you?” Lance held it slightly out of reach with a joking smirk. 

“Hey, give it!” Keith lunged, but Lance scooted off the bed.

“It’s not my fault you’re so short!” 

_ Oh he crossed a line.  _ “I’m not short! Get back here!” Keith jumped off the bed.

“Sooo small!” Lance teased, bread still in hand. Keith made another grab for it, practically throwing himself at Lance. He was actually starting to consider just climbing up him, but decided against it for the time being. 

“Absolutely minuscule! Itty  _ Bitty!”  _ He waved the bread enticingly but still out of reach. Keith felt his hair begin to puff up as he stomped his foot at him.

“I’m  _ NOT  _ short!! Fuck you!!!!” He crossed his arms, looking to the side. “You know what? You can keep the bread. Whatever!” he bluffed. Keith puffed out his cheeks and sat squarely on his bed. There was a long moment of silence.

Lance broke first. “Here, fine.” The loaf of bread Keith wanted so dearly was slipped quietly onto his lap. His eyes lit up immediately, grabbing onto it protectively. “You can have it. I was just having some fun.” 

“All of it?” Keith looked up at him, eyes sparkling.

Lance paused for a moment, looking rather conflicted. With a look at his growling stomach and a look into Keith’s pleading eyes, he sighed. 

“Yes. All of it.” 

“ _ Finally!  _ Something goes right for me.” He chomps down on the bread before continuing on. “Shiro was on my ass before, talking about leavin’ Pidge alone when really he’s no better than her!” He swallowed, gesturing wildly with his hands while Lance just sat back and watched. 

“I mean, now he’s convinced that I like you just based off of what Pidge and Carmine said! Which I obviously don’t, right!? He can just be so  _ stupid! _ ”

“I mean, obviously,” Lance chuckled, “you don’t even like guys anyway, right?”

Keith stopped mid chew.  _ Oh no. He really was stupid, wasn’t he? _

“Lance, I’m-”

“Wait, you-”

“Lance, I’m gay.”

“Wait, you like guys?”

Keith stared. “I thought everyone knew that? It’s not something in particular I tried to hide?” 

“I- I just- I don’t know, I… I obviously accept you and everything, obviously, but I had no idea!” Lance stammered, trying to find words.  _ Dumbass. _

“Lance, I have openly flirted with guys right in front of you before. How did you not know?”

“I thought you were just… making friends or something, I don’t know?” Lance stuttered.

Keith stared at him blankly, unable to comprehend his stupidity. “Do I look like the kind of person to make friends on missions, Lance?”

“Well, what about that guard you were talking to when we first got here? You even laughed! I never see you laugh!” Lance was pacing now.

“Lance…” he shook his head.

“So why were you-” Suddenly, something seemed to click in Lance’s brain. Keith could see it happen. It really took him that long to notice, huh?

“...Oh.” he looked Keith in the face as he slowly bit off another piece of bread.

“Oh. Wow, so, um… How’d it go with that guard?” 

“ _ LANCE!” _

“What? I’m just asking!” 

Keith scoffed, instinctively reaching into his back pocket to fiddle with the little foil packages he had stuck there. “Yeah, well, maybe if you hadnt insisted on leaving  _ that fucking second,  _ I’d know.”

“Oh! Um, yeah, that sucks, I guess.” Lance rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“Lance, you literally scared away my hookup,” Keith sighed, chewing, “It’s fine though, I don’t blame you.

“Yeah um, I’m sorry about that and everything.” Lance stared as Keith consumed the last piece of bread in a single bite. “And there goes the last of our food for tonight.” he lamented, looking disproportionately sad.

A lightbulb went off in Keith’s head. There had been too much of Lance taking the lead, too much of Lance getting them into trouble. It was his turn now. His lips curved into a smile and he looked up at Lance, who was still mourning the loss of the stale loaf.

“Hey Lance?”

“Hm?”

“There’s a kitchen right at the end of the hallway. I peeked in, and it’s usually empty. So what if…”

“We go raid the kitchen?!” Lance said excitedly, the familiar mischievous glint back in his eye.

“Exactly.” Keith grinned.

“I like the way you think, Kogane. I see my ways are rubbing off on you. I’m very proud.” 

Keith scoffed. “I’ve always been like this. You just haven’t seen me in action.”

“And I can’t  _ wait!”  _ Lance yanked him by the elbow off the bed, scattering the remaining crumbs from his lap onto the floor.

“Ready to go raid a kitchen?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to our first commenter!!!! a certain someone was refusing to post but!!!!!!! it was inspiring!!!! so now we get to spoil yall with a veeeery long chapter. well, FIRST very long chapter. help.  
> also marshi needs to stop talking. she needs her rights revoked. -H
> 
> (Note from Marshmallow: I added the H tag to distinguish that it was Honey, but they insisted you guys would know even without the tag... anyway, thank you all, and I'll see you all next chapter!!)


	5. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitchen adventure to commit grilled cheese crimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Marshmallow here to say HELLO TO EVERYONE NEW FINDING OUR FIC!! We are working on making our chapters longer and better and also working up a backlog so we don't keep you guys waiting too long for new chapters! A note from Honey at the end. <3

“Lance, will you  _ stop  _ humming the Mission Impossible theme and get up? We’re trying not to seem suspicious, remember?”

Lance sighed and got up from behind the large decorative vase. “You’re no fun.”

“Really?  _ I’m  _ no fun? I thought I was the one who suggested raiding the kitchen in the first place.”

“C'mon, Keith! We’re on a secret mission to get our snacks! Lighten up a little!”

“Lance, it’s a  _ raid,  _ not a  _ heist,  _ you dork _. _ There will be no crouching behind plants or humming spy music.”

Lance stuck his tongue out, but stopped humming. “Spoilsport. Suit yourself.”

“The kitchen is right through here I think.” Keith motioned to a darkened doorway. Lance peeked his head through and groped for a light switch. A flick, and the room brightened to show a large, industrial kitchen with an even larger walk-in fridge.

“Ooh, sweet!” Lance ran into the kitchen, inspecting all the tools, opening all the cupboards. They had everything, multiple sized knives, pots, pans, and the refrigerator was…

“...gigantic!! And look at all this food!!” Lance’s eyes lit up with joy at the rows of colorful vegetables. 

“Lance, can you not leave the knives all over the counter? I thought  _ you _ wanted to be stealthy.” There was a clatter of Keith stacking the pots Lance had strewn over the countertops.

“They’ve got bread, cheese, and butter! We can make grilled cheese!” Lance stumbled out of the fridge, arms full of ingredients. 

“We?” Keith grimaced, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I suck at cooking.”

“All the more reason why you should learn! Grilled cheese is one of the things that you can’t mess up, I guarantee it!” Lance gave him a big grin and slammed down an entire block of cheese, causing a loud bang, making them both jump. 

“LANCE! Keep it quiet!” Keith yelled, not quietly.

“Right, sorry.” Lance hurried around the kitchen, gathering two large pans, knives, plates, and other supplies, clanging as he went.

“Lance, do I really have to cook?” Keith lamented, begrudgingly removing his jacket.

“Yes, you do. And take off those gloves too! You have to have clean hands to cook!” Lance chirped, looking over from the knife he was admiring, and did a double take. He had obviously seen Keith without his jacket before, but something about the way the soft light of the kitchen hit him was different. Had his arm muscles always looked like that? And his side profile was quite nice…

“Hey! You okay? You were staring off into space.” Keith waved a hand in front of his face. Lance jumped, dropping the knife.

“Yup! Fine.” Fine that he wasn’t clearly ogling at his friend’s arms. Lance shook his head.

“Okay, so I found this block of cheese. We have to cut it into slices, but you’re good with your sword, a knife shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” Lance slid him a small serrated one and handed him the cheese. Keith picked up the knife like it was a foreign object and looked at it closely. Lance just hoped he wouldn’t cut himself by accident. He turned away and busied himself with cutting thick slices of bread. He hummed a little tune as he cut, allowing his thoughts to wander. Lance missed cooking with his family, although sometimes it ended in a kitchen splattered with all sorts of ingredients, it was always fun.

_ BANG BANG BANG! _

“Keith,  _ what  _ are you  _ doing?!” _

Keith was, from the looks of it, attempting to murder the block of cheddar Lance had placed in front of him.

“I’m cutting it! I think…” Keith pulled the knife from where it was stabbed in the middle of the block.

“Keith, you know you’re supposed to cut off slices… not butcher the entire thing, right?” Keith stared blankly. Lance put his face in his hands.

“Okay, I’m helping you.” Lance got behind Keith and pulled his wrists into position.

“Hey!!”

“First of all,” Lance sighed, “You aren’t gonna get anywhere holding a knife like  _ that! _ ” Keith’s hand was clenched tightly around the knife, ready to stab.

“Relax your hand, rotate it like this. You’re not trying to murder the cheese, a knife isn’t the same as a sword.” Keith sighed and let Lance move his hand, taking the knife from his death grip.

“Now put the knife like this and saw back and forth, don't stab it.” he guided Keith’s hand as he slowly but surely cut off a slice.

“Oh wow, I did it! Cool!” Keith looked disproportionately proud, considering most people knew how to properly cut a slice of cheese, but Lance let him have his moment.

“Now do that five more times. Please don’t stab yourself.” Lance pleaded jokingly. Keith shoved him.

“I won’t stab myself, don’t worry.”

Lance still worried. For a man who tried to murder a block of cheese, anything was possible.

He began to prepare the pan and cut the bread as Keith continued to work behind him. Lance had originally thought Keith could help him with some of the other tasks as well, but decided against it. Couldn’t risk another knife incident. Tossing some butter into the pan, he hummed a little tune as it melted.

“Kay Lance, I’m done now.” Keith handed him six slices of varying thickness. Oh well. It was all gonna be melted anyway.

“Alright then! Let's layer these up and send them into the pan!” 

Lance continued to hum as he gently lowered the carefully stacked sandwiches into the butter, enjoying the loud sizzle as they hit the pan. It really did feel nice to be cooking with someone again, even if that someone couldn’t cut an even slice of cheddar.

He laughed softly to himself at the thought as he gently tapped his feet. 

“What are you doing?” Keith's voice was gentle, his head cocked slightly to the side as he looked up at him.

“Oh, sorry. It’s just a song my mom would sing when she cooked back at home. I’ll stop now, though.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“What?”

Lance watched Keith bashfully turn his head away.

“I didn’t say you had to stop.” He looked back up at him. “It’s not annoying or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Lance turned away again, mainly because he wasn’t sure how much of Keith he could take at the minute. He let them fall into comfortable silence, except for his soft humming. He heard Keith shuffle his feet awkwardly before piping up again.

“What song is that?”

“Oh, uh. I actually don’t know?”

Keith squinted at him.

“How are you humming it without  _ knowing  _ it? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, like I said, it’s something my mama would sing a lot, so I kinda just like… picked it up? But everytime i would ask what it was, I always forgot right after. Still know every word though!” 

“You should sing it.” 

Lance's neck almost broke with how fast he looked down at Keith. And by the looks of it, Keith had surprised himself quite a bit too. 

“Sorry. That was weird.” 

“No, no don’t worry, it’s not weird at all, it’s just…” Lance trailed off, rubbing his neck sheepishly, “nobody’s really asked me to sing before.”

“Really?” Keith’s eyes went jokingly wide, “Are you like, really bad or something?”   
  
Lance chuckled. “No, at least I don’t think so. But my family likes to tell me otherwise.” He smiled fondly. “Not that they were any better. My sister Veronica has a nice voice though.”

“You sang with your family?”   
  


“Well, yeah. We would all cook together and sing and dance. It was really fun, although sometimes we got too carried away and made a mess.” he sighed, flipping the spatula in his hands. “I miss it.”

“Well,” Keith gave him a small smile, “I don’t mind if you sing, Lance.”

“Yknow, I would feel left out, if I was the only one singing…” Lance trailed off, the mischievous glint back in his eye.

Keith backed away. “Oh no, Lance, I do  _ not  _ sing!”

Maybe it was a dumb decision, maybe he felt stupid approximately 0.5 seconds after extending his hand, but Lance said it anyway, with the most confident smile he could muster.

“Then dance with me.”

Lance had the honor of watching Keith's face go red as he spluttered and shuffled backwards. 

“I, um-“

Lance grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. Keith squeaked as he tripped towards him, falling onto his chest.

“ _ Lance-!” _

“Shut up!! This is happening.”

“But I-“

“ _ Shush!! _ You aren’t getting out of this, Mr. Grumpy Pants. You  _ are  _ dancing with me.” 

Keith grumbled into his chest, but Lance was pretty sure he was mostly doing it to hide his burning face. He shifted his hand slightly as he began to lead him around the room. 

“Sorry in advance.” Keith mumbled into his chest.

“For?”

“Breaking all the bones in your feet, most likely.”

Lance laughed. “I’m sure you can’t be  _ that  _ bad.” 

Keith grumbled again, looking up at him through his bangs. “You know how bad I am at cooking?”

“It’d be hard for me not to, yeah.”

“I’m worse at dancing.” 

Lance peered down at him, subconsciously pressing him closer. 

“Hmm…” He led him into a gentle twirl before bringing him back. “Then I guess I have to teach you this, too.”

He felt Keith smile to himself against his chest.

“Less talking, more singing.”

“You’re just mad because I'm right, and you know it.”

Keith brought up his free hand to flick him on the forehead. Lance scoffed at him, but took the hint and began to sing. 

He felt Keith freeze and was briefly worried that maybe he was going to tell him to stop. He pushed on anyway, and was rewarded with Keith relaxing once more and gently shifting his hand onto his shoulder. Lance reciprocated, placing his hand onto his waist. They continued to drift across the room, Lance singing softly into his hair. 

It felt wonderful to sing and dance like this. Lance missed the rowdy kitchen nights of screaming pop songs and baking cookies, but something about this was softer, the bittersweetness pressing up in his chest and making him sigh. He felt Keith humming into his chest along to the tune of the song, his hair tickling Lance though his shirt. The humming was horribly off tune, but Lance didn’t care.

Something inside him caught. This is exactly what Carmine had wanted, had assumed. Was it okay for friends to do this?  _ Friends?  _ Is that what he could call Keith at this point? God, what would they think if they saw what he was doing right now. Dancing, just like they were a  _ couple… _

“Hey, Lance are you okay?” Keith whispered softly, tipping his face up to look at him. “You stopped singing…” he trailed off, a hint of pink staining his cheeks.

“What? Oh, yeah, sorry, I’m fine!” Lance stammered.

Keith pressed his face into his shirt harder, and Lance’s breath hitched.

“Can you… can you keep singing? I like your voice.” he mumbled, voice muffled by fabric. 

“Really?” Lance murmured, his voice a near whisper, “Nobody’s told me they like my singing, I mean…” he trailed off as Keith gripped him around the waist. He sighed and almost laughed, ruffling Keith’s hair before starting up his tune again.

He closed his eyes, pulling Keith even closer in, when a smell reached his nose. It was almost like something was…

“...burning…” Lance’s eyes flashed open, tearing himself away from a startled Keith.

“SHIT KEITH, I  _ BURNT _ THE GRILLED CHEESE!” Lance frantically flipped the sandwiches, and, lo and behold, the bottoms were smoky and black. Keith shuffled back as he watched Lance fumble with the pan. “Shit, shit, shit,  _ shit! _ ” 

“Lance, I… I’m sorry, I asked you to sing and…” Keith looked ready to cry, a sight which Lance did not take lightly. 

“No, no, Keith don’t worry it’s not your fault!”

“But I was the one who-”

“I’m not angry at you for-”

“They’re all burnt-”

“It’s not-”

“I’m sorry I just-”

“Keith.”

“I just really wanted to hear you and-”

“ _ Keith. _ ”

“And it’s all my fault and I-”

“KEITH!”

“Listen I’m just really really sorry and-  _ OUCH!” _

“Keith, listen to me!” Lance grabbed him by the shoulders. Immediately he felt bad, Keith looked terrified, but there was no other way.

“Listen Keith, I’m not mad at you at all. It’s not your fault and you don’t need to apologize to me. I was…. I was honestly having a really good time, okay? So it’s not your fault. Okay?” Lance tried to gingerly remove his hands from Keith’s shoulders, but he grabbed at his wrists before he could pull away.

“Lance, I didn’t mean to, it’s just…. Whenever I get close to someone, I always push them away and…” Keith sniffed slightly, as if holding back tears, “And I just… I really…. I like being around you and I don’t want that to change…”

Something in Lance broke. It hurt to see Keith like this.

“Listen, Keith. I like being around you too. And no matter what, it’s gonna stay that way, got it? I mean…” Lance gingerly reached his hand to Keith’s face as he looked up at him, “we are friends, aren’t we?”

Keith scrunched his eyes shut and pressed his cheek against Lance’s palm, as if trying to block out the light. He let out a long, pained sigh. 

“Yeah.”

“Now c'mon, stop moping. A grilled cheese, be it burnt, is still a grilled cheese.” Lance slid them out onto a plate.

And  _ maybe _ he might’ve carefully pulled the pieces of bread apart and stuck together the two best pieces of unburnt bread to give to Keith. Maybe he did. He would never tell.

“Hey, this actually doesn’t look bad.” Keith took his plate from Lance and bit down. The change in his face was instantaneous, the ends of his mouth curling upwards as he stuffed his mouth with the cheesy bread. “I’m detecting a hint of char, but this is  _ amazing. _ ” 

“Yeah, this is…” Lance coughed slightly, “really great…” Maybe sacrificing his own taste buds for Keith wasn’t the best idea. The charred bread was overpowering and bitter. Lance gritted his teeth and tried to focus on the cheese. What had he said?  _ You can't mess up a grilled cheese! _ Oh how wrong he had been....

As if reading his thoughts, Keith piped up. “Wow Lance, you were right. I guess you can’t mess up a grilled cheese after all!” He happily munched, his eyes closed with bliss. Lance shook his head and took another bitter bite.

_ Nope. Don’t regret it one bit… _

  
  


***

This was bullshit. The whole thing was bullshit. Pidge stormed down the hallway, her shoes making little squeaks on the tile. A little bit of paper fell out of her hair and she nearly exploded.  _ I’m really gonna kill them. _

Sure, maybe it wasn’t nice of her to pick a fight. But Keith and Lance were so easy to provoke, she couldn't help herself. She was sure their mutual brief hatred of her had strengthened their bond anyway. Although Hunk was probably right, she did go too far. The look on Keith’s face at dinner had been scary. Pidge thought for a moment. Maybe she should apologize...

Of course she had meant it as a joke. But Pidge was starting to wonder if her joke had become a reality. What she had seen over the security cameras... _ My god, they were dancing.  _ Dancing, in the kitchen! Like some kind of domestic couple! Who did they think they were? The way they moved, the way they looked at eachother…

It was so obvious. They had  _ crushes _ on eachother. What had started as just a little misunderstanding had turned into something real. But nobody would believe that.  _ Except… _

Pidge paused, and a switch flipped inside her. They wanted her to play cupid? Fine, she would. She turned to look at her reflection in one of the huge windows, doing her best to shake the last of the paper out. A smile curled across her lips, which turned into a grin, which melted into giddy laughter. It didn’t matter how dense Keith and Lance might be. She was gonna make it happen. And she knew the first step.

_ It’s time to talk to the queen. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's honey. sorry for the wacky upload schedule, school is hard and our lives are harder ;-;. we promise we’re sitting on quite a bit though, so please be patient!
> 
> also this is where the cheese ptsd tag comes from, while we were writing we went on a tangent about lance slamming the cheese down and keith losing his mind about it and... yeah. we’re funny. also was i dealing with the fact that i may have ptsd? the world may never know. (honestly what did i expect, i’m far too funny to *not* be traumatized)
> 
> anyway, yeah! chapter or whatever. it’s pretty chill. also everyone say congrats to marshmallow for not being a simp anymore....


End file.
